Griffith, Henry deliver SEC West title to Tide
AUBURN, Ala. — Adam Griffith created another indelible Iron Bowl memory, this one for a flawless performance.
Griffith emerged as an Iron Bowl hero for the Tide (11-1, 7-1 SEC) two years after his missed field-goal attempt touched off the Tigers’ winning Kick Six play, a winning 100yard return by Auburn’s Chris Davis on the game’s final play. But on Saturday, Griffith kicked five field goals to help propel the Crimson Tide to the SEC West title with a 29-13 victory over rival Auburn.
He’ll leave dwelling on the past to others.
“I feel like everybody is talking about that too much, the Kick Six,” Griffith said. “That’s two years ago. It happened. I wasn’t thinking about that at all.”
Derrick Henry, meanwhile, continued laboring as No. 2 Alabama’s tireless leading man. He ran a school-record 46 times for 271 yards against Auburn (6-6, 2-6), the thirdmost in a game for a Alabama back and the most against the Tigers.
The Heisman Trophy candidate produced his fourth 200-yard game of the season against an SEC defense. He helped put it away with 19 runs in the fourth quarter, then extended his school-record streak of games with a rushing touchdown to 17 in the final minute.
Henry broke Trent Richardson’s single-season rushing mark and had carries on 14 consecutive plays at the end.
“He’s the go-to guy,” Tide Coach Nick Saban said. “He didn’t want to come out. He wanted to go.”
The Tigers stayed close, aided by Jason Smith’s 77-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter which he twice tipped back to himself.
“As I was running, I was like, ‘Man, no way,’ ” Smith said. “I couldn’t hear anything, at first, until I got in the end zone.”
The Tide will play No. 12 Florida next week at the Georgia Dome for the SEC championship and a second consecutive berth in the playoffs. Alabama entered the game No. 2 in the playoff rankings and like No. 1 Clemson had trouble shaking its struggling rival.
Clemson survived a 37-32 scare against South Carolina earlier in the day.
Alabama’s victory also didn’t come without a fight against Auburn.
Jake Coker completed 17 of 26 passes for 179 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown to ArDarius Stewart in the third quarter after eluding two defenders.
Auburn bounced right back with Smith’s improbable but eerily familiar touchdown catch. Smith tipped the deep ball from Jeremy Johnson into the air twice with his right hand before collecting it and racing to the end zone for the Tigers’ longest pass play of the season.
It was reminiscent of Ricardo Louis’ deflected catch for a touchdown to beat Georgia two years ago for Auburn. Only this time no SEC or national title shot was on the line.
“That play reminded me of the play they made against Georgia the same year they made the kick return against us,” Saban said. “But it was a big play and it counts for seven.”
Johnson was 10-of-23 passing for 169 yards. Jovon Robinson ran for 53 yards but only had two second-half carries.
“We had opportunities in the fourth quarter,” Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn said. “We were right there and just didn’t make the plays to win the game and they did. That’s a good football team.”
Before Henry took over, Griffith kept the Tide ahead. His field goals went for 26, 40, 26, 50 and 47 yards.